Betty J. (Thompson) Annis

THE SERVICE WILL BE LIVE STREAMED VIA BACHELOR-FAULKNER-DART-SURBER FUNERAL HOMES FACEBOOK PAGE AT 2PM SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2022

Betty J. Annis (nee Thompson), age 93, passed away on September 28, 2021 at home with family in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Betty was born in Woodland, California in July 1928 to Archibald (Arch) and Bernice Jones Thompson.  Soon after, the family moved to Agenda, Kansas and lived on a farm that had been originally purchased by Betty’s grandfather, and which remains with the Thompson family to this day.  She attended school in Agenda, graduating from Agenda High School in 1946, and went on to college at University of Kansas, Lawrence.  There, she met Russell Annis and they married on November 24, 1950.  Both she and Russell pursued careers in education.  After college, they lived in the Kansas City area before moving to France to work for US Department of Defense schools in 1964.  When the French forced the US military to leave a year later, they moved to the Panama Canal Zone while still working for the DoD school system.  Betty worked at Balboa Elementary School, Balboa High School and the Canal Zone College.

Betty took time off and attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln where in May 1976 she earned her PhD in Business.  Russell and Betty both took early retirement in 1982 and moved to Albuquerque to be near their children.  After Russell’s passing, Betty met her partner Gerford (“Red”) Carver and moved to Durango in 2008, returning to the Albuquerque area upon his passing in 2012.

Betty was preceded in death by Russell, her husband of 51 years, and by her brother Tommy Thompson.  She is survived by her sister Bernice Ritch of Cuchillo, NM; brother Gerald Thompson of Concordia, KS; daughter Alison Almquist of Sharon, MA; daughter Jennifer Marquardt of Albuquerque, NM and 5 grandchildren: Elaine Almquist of Canton, MA, Brett Almquist of Burlington, MA, Jason Marquardt of Ames, IA, Scott Almquist of Sharon, MA, and Kristin Marquardt of Fayetteville, NC.

Betty was an avid genealogist for much of her life and compiled family history going back to the 1600s.  She always valued her connections to Kansas, and travelled there for family events and Agenda High School reunions whenever she could.  She was a long-time rock hound in the Canal Zone and a member of the Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club. She enjoyed collecting rocks and gems and made some jewelry from them.  She was an adventurous traveler making many domestic and international trips, including travel to Russia, Antarctica, and an African Safari into her 80s.  She followed financial news and was enthusiastic about investing her money.

Betty was cremated, and her ashes will be interred alongside her husband in the Agenda, KS Cemetery, adjacent to the family property where she grew up. 

 A Memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM, Saturday, September 17, 2022 at the Bachelor-Surber Funeral Home, Belleville, Kansas.    

Online condolences at www.bachelor-surber.com

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to one of her favorite charities: Doctors Without Borders, The Archaeological Conservancy, or Retina Foundation of the Southwest.

Bachelor-Surber Funeral Home, 1322 19th Street, Belleville, KS.

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